


Haught-Earp Family Album

by Dharma_Snowbush



Series: Tomorrow Is a Long Time [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Babies, County Fairs, F/F, Family Feels, Fights, Fluff, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Pie, school days, too many emotions, wynonna's gonna need a drink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-03-07 08:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13430727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dharma_Snowbush/pseuds/Dharma_Snowbush
Summary: Seven photographs are all Harper Haught-Earp has to remember her life before. Before Bulshar. Before everything and everyone she loved were taken from her.But time has a funny way of moving on, and Harper finds herself making new memories with Waverly, Nicole, Wynonna, and the rest of her family.





	1. Baby

**Author's Note:**

> A one-shot collection based off of Harper's photo album in chapter four of "Someone Else's Tomorrow." These stories probably won't make sense without having read that first. Seriously, why haven't you read it yet? It's awesome and I'm not just saying that because I helped write it.

_Jeremy jumped out of his car and sprinted over to the little red Jeep, flinging Waverly’s door open then ran around to the other side where Nicole had already started opening her own door. He grabbed the handle and opened it the rest of the way before running to the back of the Jeep and loading himself up with as much stuff as he could physically handle._

_“It’s OK, Jeremy,” Waverly said, carefully unhooking the carrier seat from the backseat of the Jeep. Jeremy staggered around towards the house, unable to see over the mountain of baby supplies in his arms. “You don’t need to be our pack mule.”_

_“If he wants to carry everything in, let him,” Nicole said. She eased the baby seat out of the car, being extra careful not to disturb its sleeping passenger. “We’ve got something far more important to carry.”_

_Nicole and Waverly walked to the house hand in hand, with Jeremy darting around them to open the door before they got there. Inside, a handmade banner reading 'Welcome Home, Baby Haught-Earp' hung over the couch and nearby, Doc and Dolls were standing over a half finished crib. They both looked up at the new edition to the gang and smiled._

_“Well she is perfect, isn’t she?” Doc said, stepping closer to get a better look at the little girl who had begun to stir. Waverly scooped the baby up in her arms, cradling the girl against her chest while Jeremy snatched the carrier away from Nicole and ran off to put it away._

_“Why don’t you three sit down,” Dolls said. He cleared the crib building tools off the couch and gestured for them to sit. Waverly sat in the middle of the couch and Nicole sat next to her, nestling up against her side and resting a hand gently under the baby’s head._

_“Picture!” Jeremy yelled, reappearing from wherever he’d hidden the baby stuff. He excitedly ran to the front of the couch and pulled out his phone. Waverly and Nicole looked up at him just long enough for him to snap a picture, then went right back to looking at their daughter. Jeremy snapped a few more pictures for good measure._

_“We should probably take our leave,” Doc said, noticing how Waverly and Nicole were not paying the least bit of attention to the men gathered around them. “Get your rest and we shall return later to finish our little carpentry project.”_

_“And we’ll bring dinner!” Jeremy said. While it was clear Jeremy didn’t want to leave, he did allow Doc to escort him out of the house._

_“Call us if you need anything,” Dolls said on his way out._

_“Wait!” Waverly said, handing the baby to Nicole and following after Dolls. “Where’s Wynonna?”_

_Dolls looked awkwardly past Waverly at nothing in particular and considered how best to answer. Before he could say anything, Waverly pulled him into a hug._

_“It’s alright,” she said. “If you see her, please tell her to come home.”_

_Dolls gave her a tight squeeze, then headed out to his car. Waverly wiped a tear from her cheek and walked back to the couch where Nicole was gently rocking their baby in her arms._

_“Maybe we should head upstairs,” Nicole said without taking her eyes off her daughter. “Lay down for a little while.”_

_Waverly silently nodded and they slowly made their way upstairs. Nicole laid the baby down and they each laid on either side of her. The baby yawned and stretched her arms up in the air. Waverly held her hand out and the little girl wrapped her hand around one of Waverly’s fingers._

_“She’s so little,” Waverly said, running her thumb over the baby’s fingers._

_“She’s in the ninetieth percentile for height,” Nicole laughed. She looked over at Waverly and smiled at her wife’s amazement for their daughter._

_“Well, she’s going to be tall, like her mom,” Waverly said, gently booping the baby’s nose._

_“She’s going to be an overachiever like her mama,” Nicole said. Waverly laughed and leaned over to kiss Nicole._

_Downstairs, Wynonna hesitated at the sound of soft conversation and laughter. She hadn’t meant to miss bringing her sister and niece home, she’d merely lost track of time. Wynonna had been at the hospital when her niece was born, but once she’d heard everyone was doing alright, she’d needed some air._

_She rode out to the edge of Purgatory to sit at her bench, looking out over the field for what felt like hours. The hills that would eventually be carpeted in beautiful flowers, was lifeless and frozen this far into winter. It wasn't much to look at, but the biting cold air seeped into Wynonna's bones, helping to numb her feelings. She couldn’t bear to face her sister, not when she was overwhelmed by a painful mix of jealousy, anger, and joy. She was grateful that Waverly and Nicole were able to find happiness in spite of everything that had happened, but it didn't make the ache in her heart hurt any less._

_When she still couldn’t force all of her feelings down, Wynonna knew she needed to get away. Just for one day, she had to convince herself she could leave it all behind. She was clear past the Purgatory’s borders and nearly out of gas when she’d finally had it in her to turn around and come back._

_That was yesterday. Today she was the same crack-shot, take no shit Wynonna that they all expected her to be. Needed her to be. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Wynonna began the long walk up the stairs. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Wynonna began the long walk up the stairs._

_“I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet,” Wynonna said. She leaned against the doorframe trying to look casual and not show how much her heart was hammering in her chest._

_Waverly’s face lit up when she saw her sister. She hopped off the bed and gently picked up her daughter before walking over to Wynonna to make the formal introductions._

_“Wynonna, this is Agnes Lucille Haught-Earp,” Waverly said, setting her daughter in her sister’s arms. “Agnes, this is your Aunt Wynonna. She is frequently late, you are just going to have to get used to it.”_

_“Hey there, little one,” Wynonna said, letting the baby grab ahold of her pinky. Waverly stepped back and Nicole wrapped her arms around her wife’s waist, both watching Wynonna intently. The baby was bigger than Alice had been, but Wynonna wasn’t sure if that was the Haught genes or the fact she was older than Alice had been the last time Wynonna had held her. Wynonna felt the tears building, but blinked them back. She lowered her head so she could whisper in the baby’s ear. “Don’t you worry, baby girl, I’m going to protect you. All of you.”_

_Wynonna handed the baby over to Nicole and left the room, Waverly hot on her heels._

_“Wait,” Waverly said, grabbing Wynonna’s elbow. “We should talk.”_

_“No, I’m fine.” Wynonna stubbornly wiped the tears from her eyes._

_“Are you sure?” Waverly asked. “Please. Tell me what you need.”_

_“I need you to get back in there to your wife and daughter,” Wynonna said. “Hold them as tightly as you can for as long as you can. And Agnes is a stupid name.”_

_Waverly laughed through tears as Wynonna hugged her. Wynonna gave a tight lipped smile, then left. Waverly knew there was no point following after her sister right now, so she turned back to her room. Pausing at the threshold, Waverly took a moment to enjoy the sight of her wife and daughter laying on their bed, both half asleep. She knew her sister was hurting, but in that moment, nothing could stop Waverly’s heart from bursting with joy._

* * *

__

“And this is our driveway,” Harper said in a baby voice, bouncing gently as she turned to give the baby a three-sixty view of the driveway. “It has always looked like this and probably won’t ever change, so get used to it. And that over there is where your big sister lives with Sarah. It’s a barn, true, but we are making the inside very nice.”

“What are you doing?” Nicole asked. She set the now empty baby seat down and reached for the baby, but Harper turned away from her. “Harper, you cannot kidnap my baby.”

“I’m not kidnapping her,” Harper said. Then in the baby voice, she said, “I’m giving my little sister a tour. I’ve only waited almost thirty years for a baby sister. Yes, I have. That’s another thing. Everyone is gonna say I’m your mom’s sister, but that’s not true, I’m your sister, yes I am.”

“Sweetie, give Waverly and Nicole their baby back,” Sarah said, coming up behind Harper and putting her chin on Harper’s shoulder.

“Fine,” Harper said. She held her sister out for Nicole and pouted as Nicole and Waverly carried her sister off towards the house. 

“This is their first baby,” Sarah said. “Let them enjoy it.”

“I know, I know,” Harper said, bending down to pick up the baby seat Nicole had left behind. “I’m just really excited. And I want to help!”

“Then why don’t we carry everything inside for them?” Sarah said. 

Sarah tugged Harper over to the jeep and started loading her up like a pack mule. Another car pulled up behind them and Jeremy jumped out of the passenger seat before the car even stopped. He grabbed everything he could out of the jeep and even took a few things from Harper before running inside, shouting about how he was here to help.

Dolls got out of the driver’s side while Doc stepped out behind him. They both watched Jeremy run off and exchanged a quick glance before turning to Harper and Sarah.

“Wynonna called and said everyone was headed home,” Doc said, walking to the back of the car. Dolls opened it and they pulled out a beautiful handmade crib. “So we thought now was a good time to bring our gift.”

“They’re all inside,” Harper said. She walked over to admire the crib. It was much fancier than the one she’d had growing up. “I can help carry this in if you’d like.”

“I think we can handle it,” Dolls said. 

The four of them made their way to the house and Jeremy appeared out of nowhere to open the door for them. Doc and Dolls maneuvered the crib into the house, then headed up the stairs to drop it off in Waverly and Nicole’s room. Jeremy darted around the room, frantically taking pictures, at one point dropping on the ground to get a shot that included little Alice, the baby and the ‘Welcome Home Baby Haught-Earp’ sign Harper and Alice had made. Harper perched on the edge of the couch to watch her family as Waverly held the baby out for Alice to see better. Alice perched on the edge of Wynonna’s lap, looking intently down at her cousin.

“She’s so tiny,” Alice said, scrunching up her nose.

“You were tiny too, kiddo,” Wynonna said. She placed a kiss on top of Alice’s head, making her giggle. 

“What’s her name?” Alice asked. 

“Margaret Lillian Haught-Earp,” Waverly said. She looked over at Nicole and they smiled at each other. Nicole rested her forehead against Waverly’s and held her hand out for Margaret to take hold of her fingers.

“That’s a better name than Agnes,” Wynonna said, smirking and gently nudging Harper with her elbow.

“Tell me about it,” Harper said, winking at her.

The baby sneezed, startling herself so much she started to cry. Waverly fumbled with Margaret in her arms, trying to soothe her. Wynonna set Alice down on her feet, then moved to her sister’s side, Harper standing up off the couch to give her room.

“This would always help with Alice,” Wynonna said, rearranging Waverly’s arms and repositioning Margaret. After a moment, the baby nestled against her mama and closed her eyes. 

“The little lady’s sleeping quarters have been arranged,” Doc said as he and Dolls returned from upstairs.

“Then we should probably let you guys get some rest,” Wynonna said. She hugged Waverly, trying not to disturb the baby and gave Nicole a pat on the back. “Come on, let’s clear out of here. You guys call if you need anything.”

“And we’ll bring you dinner!” Jeremy said, snapping a few more pictures with his phone. They all started to leave when Waverly stopped them.

“Wait, Jeremy over here,” she said, gesturing with her chin to a spot in front of the couch. “We need a full Haught-Earp family photo. Harper, sit your butt down next to me.”

Harper smiled and dropped down on the couch next to Waverly. She leaned in close and placed a gentle hand under her sister’s head. Waverly gave Harper’s hand a gentle squeeze and Nicole reached across Waverly’s back to place her hand on Harper’s shoulder. They all smiled as Jeremy snapped away.

When Margaret began to grow fussy, they called for an end to the pictures. Harper gave her family a big hug then followed the rest of the group out of the house. On their way to the cars, Harper pulled Jeremy back.

“Do you think you could print one of those out for me?” She asked. “Like a real picture.”

Jeremy nodded enthusiastically. “Of course.”


	2. Motorcycle

_Agnes ran across the grass giggling. She’d escaped her moms and ran around the house to the driveway where Wynonna’s bike sat unattended, running as fast as her little legs would carry her with her arms outstretched towards the bike._

_“Whoa there, baby girl!” Wynonna said as she stepped out of the barn, scooping Agnes up in her arms. “Your moms would kill me if I let you play on my bike. Where are they?”_

_“Ride!” Agnes said, reaching out for the bike. Wynonna glanced around making sure Waverly and Nicole were nowhere in sight, then climbed on the back of the bike. She put Agnes down in front of her. Agnes immediately reached for the handle bars._

_“Eager kid, aren’t you?” Wynonna laughed. She kick started the engine and Agnes squealed in delight._

_“What the hell are you doing?” Waverly stomped in front of the bike, arms crossed across her chest and a death glare in her eyes._

_“Harper wanted to see my bike,” Wynonna said, turning the bike off. Agnes pouted and tugged on Wynonna’s arm, begging her to start it again._

_“Her name isn’t Harper,” Waverly said, her scowl growing more severe._

_“My name’s Haup-Er!” Agnes said. She jumped up and down on the seat and Wynonna had to grab her waist to stop her from toppling off the bike._

_“See,” Wynonna said, tickling her niece. Agnes shrieked and giggled, then fell back against Wynonna. “Harper!”_

_“It’s Haught-Earp, sweetie,” Waverly said, enunciating as clearly as she could. She stepped forward and picked Agnes up off the bike. Agnes began to scream and cry, reaching back out for Wynonna and the bike. “Agnes, stop it. It’s not safe.”_

_Agnes wailed even louder. “Hauper! Hauper!”_

_“I think she wants you to call her Harper,” Wynonna said, smirking. Waverly shot her another glare._

_“I want to ride!” Agnes screamed, twisting in her mama’s arms. “I want to ride!”_

_“Sweetie, it’s not safe,” Waverly said. She struggled to keep the flailing toddler in her arms and ended up clutching her daughter tightly to her chest. Agnes buried her face in her mama’s shoulder and sobbed hysterically._

_“What’s going on out here?” Nicole asked as she stepped out of the house onto the front porch._

_“Where were you?” Waverly snapped. She bounced up and down, trying and failing to calm the still screaming Agnes. Nicole put her hands up as she walked down the steps towards them._

_“I was fixing Calamity Jane’s cat door,” Nicole said. “Like you asked me to.”_

_“I also asked you to watch Agnes, but I come out here to see her playing on a motorcycle!” Waverly yelled at her wife. “She could have been crushed.”_

_“I was right here,” Wynonna said, giving Waverly a little wave. Waverly didn’t take her eyes off Nicole._

_“I’m sorry, I thought you were watching her,” Nicole said. She reached out to hug Waverly, but Waverly pulled away. “Hey, baby, she is fine. It’s OK. Wynonna was right here.”_

_“Wynonna? I can’t trust her to look after a baby!” Waverly’s hand flew to mouth the second she finished speaking. Wynonna looked down at the ground and scuffed her boot in the dirt, not able to look at her sister. “I didn’t mean that.”_

_“I know,” Wynonna said, keeping her eyes on the ground._

_It was a topic they all avoided, tiptoeing around the absence of Alice. But as Agnes grew; taking her first steps, speaking ‘mama’ for the first time, she was a constant reminder of what Wynonna was missing._

_“I want to ride!” Agnes shrieked again, breaking the tension that had fallen. Nicole reached out and took Agnes from Waverly's arms, perching the angry toddler on her hip._

_“How about if you sit nicely and listen to everything your aunt says,” Nicole said. “You can play on the bike for a few minutes.”_

_“All day!” Agnes said playing with Nicole’s hair._

_“Harper,” Nicole said in her best ‘listen to your mother’ voice. Agnes nodded and Nicole settled her back on the bike in front of Wynonna. She reached out for the handles again, bouncing excitedly in her seat. Wynonna put her hands back on the toddler’s waist and began pointing out all the exciting things on a motorcycle._

_Agnes watched with rapt attention and Wynonna dropped a kiss atop her head, the faint scent of her baby shampoo still lingered in her hair from last night’s bath. Agnes smacked the handlebars and giggled again, turning her head to smile widely at her aunt. Her joy helped soothe Wynonna’s aching heart. Even though Agnes’s days marked the passage of time, all the moments she would never get back with Alice, she also reminded Wynonna of all the reasons she still had to go on._

_Happy that Agnes had settled down with Wynonna, Nicole walked back over to Waverly and pulled her into a hug._

_“Not you too,” Waverly said as she rested her head on her wife’s shoulder._

_“Not me what?” Nicole asked, looking down at Waverly confused._

_“Harper?” Waverly said. “We named her Agnes.”_

_“Sorry, Waves. She wants to be called Harper,” Nicole shrugged and kissed the pout off Waverly’s face._

_“I didn’t mean any of what I said,” Waverly said quietly. “I saw our baby on the motorcycle and I panicked. I’m always so scared for her. First there are demons, now there are motorcycles!”_

_“I know,” Nicole said, pulling Waverly in tighter. “But everything was fine. Wynonna was there and you know she’ll always be there. And so will we.”_

_“OK, but we have to pay more attention,” Waverly said. “She’s not even three but she has the stride of a five year old.”_

_“Those would be the Haught genes,” Nicole laughed as she reached in her pocket for her phone. She raised it up in front of her, pointing at Agnes and Wynonna. “Hey, you two, say cheese!”_

_Wynonna grinned at the camera, still clutching Agnes, who was too busy trying to steer the motorcycle to pay any attention to her mom’s picture._

* * *

Wynonna drove her motorcycle towards the Homestead a little faster than may have been strictly necessary. She’d been riding around all morning enjoying a day off from Black Badge duties. Even though the curse was broken, she felt she couldn’t simply leave the demon hunting world behind. Work had slowed down from the Bulshar days, but there was still plenty to do and Wynonna made the most of her time off. Which is what she had been doing when she realized she was about to be late picking Alice up for their after preschool ice cream date.

As she drove under the Earp sign, she saw Harper laying on her back in the middle of the driveway. Wynonna leapt off her bike, readied Peacemaker and ran to her niece’s side. Harper had her arms splayed out and her eyes closed, but Wynonna couldn’t see any injuries. She nudged Harper with her boot and Harper sat bolt upright.

“Oh, it’s just you,” Harper said, flopping back onto the ground. 

“What are you doing?” Wynonna asked. She put Peacemaker away and looked around for any other family members, but saw no one.

“I’m laying here so someone will run me over,” Harper said. “You may have to do it more than once with that motorcycle.”

“I have so many questions,” Wynonna said. “But first, where is everyone? Shouldn’t Alice be back from school by now? Are you supposed to be watching her?”

“Alice has that extra activities thing on Wednesdays,” Harper said. “Waverly and Nicole are currently out of town, I didn’t ask why, and Sarah is in the city picking up invitation samples.”

“No, I have an ice cream date with Alice this afternoon,” Wynonna said, checking the time on her watch and ignoring everything else Harper said.

“That’s tomorrow.”

“So I’m not late?” Wynonna asked. Harper shook her head. “Woo! I’m 24 hours early!”

“That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose,” Harper said. Wynonna thought about just leaving Harper on the ground and going inside, but her niece looked genuinely distraught. 

“Alright, what is it?” Wynonna asked.

“Sarah and I had a stupid argument over colors,” Harper said. “Colors! Like we were in preschool. It was so stupid. I am so stupid. Everything was going so well and we were both so excited to be wedding planning, then we started fighting about colors. And now she is off picking up invitation samples without me and I want someone to run me over with a car.”

Wynonna tried not to laugh, but failed almost immediately. Harper opened her eyes to glare at Wynonna, but looked more forlorn than anything, which made Wynonna laugh harder.

“You don’t have to kill me with the car,” Harper said. “Just break a foot or a leg. Then maybe she won’t be so mad at me because I’ll be injured and she’ll feel sorry for me.”

“Sorry, can’t help you with that,” Wynonna said. “I’ve always been more of a runner. If you hurry, you can take my bike and clear out of here before she gets back.”

Wynonna held her helmet out for Harper, but she just slapped it away.

“I don’t know how to ride one of those,” she groaned.

“You lived with me for how long and you don’t know how to ride?” Wynonna asked, shaking her head. 

“You were supposed to teach me, but then Alice moved in,” Harper said. “And no offense, but other Alice was kind of a dick. And you were kind of a drunk.”

“Ouch. Well, good luck with getting run over,” Wynonna said, turning to leave. Harper caught Wynonna’s sleeve and pulled herself up.

“Wait,” she said with a distinct pout. “I’m sorry. I’m having a grumpy day.”

Wynonna looked down at her niece sitting in dirt and pouting. Harper usually looked more like Nicole, but right then, all Wynonna saw was Waverly. Sighing, Wynonna held out her helmet for Harper once again.

“Get up and I’ll give you a lesson.”

“Really?” Harper said, smiling up at Wynonna. 

Wynonna nodded and Harper leapt to her feet, snatching the helmet. She ran over to the bike, shoving the helmet on her head, and hopped on, looking like a giddy toddler. Wynonna sauntered over then began to her lesson.

Within fifteen minutes, Harper was driving circles around the Homestead at a speed some would classify as unsafe. Wynonna offered her a thumbs up as she rounded the barn for the third time. Harper was about to return the gesture when a red jeep pulled up in front of her and she was forced to cut hard, coming to a stop feet from the porch steps.

“What are you doing?” Waverly yelled as she jumped out of the driver’s seat. Her glare bounced from Harper to Wynonna then back to Harper.

Harper pulled off the helmet and started walking the bike backwards away from the steps. “Wynonna was keeping a promise she made to me, like, fifteen years ago.”

“Hey now, I’m pretty sure I haven’t technically made the promise yet,” Wynonna said. “I think. Time travel is confusing for everyone, right?”

“I saw how fast you were going, young lady,” Waverly said, walking over to Harper and poking her in the arm. “You could get yourself killed that way.”

“Young lady?” Harper said. “I am older than you, you know.”

Waverly’s eyes flashed with anger. Harper immediately got off the bike and held the helmet out for Wynonna, who took it and tucked it under her arm. Nicole laughed from behind them where she leaned on the hood of the Jeep.

“Not going to back me up?” Harper called over to her. Nicole shook her head.

“I saw you cross over onto the public road without a license,” Nicole said. “And I’ve been a cop long enough to see what happens to reckless motorcyclists. I’m on Waverly’s side here.”

“But if you splatter on the side of the barn you won’t have to deal with your very angry fiancée,” Wynonna said, winking at Harper.

“What did you do?” Waverly asked.

“I may have compared Sarah’s colorscheme choice to a box of crayons,” Harper said. “I honestly don’t know why, the colors are fine. Not what I would have picked, but does it really even matter? Oh, wait!”

Harper dug in her pocket for her phone then held it out to Wynonna.

“Could you get a picture of me on this so when I’m sleeping on a couch that’s two feet too short for me, I’ll remember what joy feels like?” Harper asked. Wynonna took the phone and dropped the helmet back on Harper’s head. Harper jumped back on the bike and gave two thumbs up while Wynonna snapped the picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> catch me on tumblr @captain-empty


	3. Cookie

_Waverly slid the tray of cookies into the oven and set the timer for five minutes. She turned around to see how Nicole and Harper were coming along with making the frosting only to find a pile of powdered sugar all over the table. Nicole was on the far side of the table, kneeling on the ground and blocking Harper from view. Waverly walked around the table and laughed, putting her hands on her hips as she watched Nicole frantically brushing sugar off Harper’s clothes._

_“What did you two do?” Waverly asked, gently hitting Nicole with a kitchen towel. Nicole turned gave Waverly a guilty smile as Harper wiped her sugary hands on her shirt, undoing some of the work Nicole had done._

_“She wanted to measure the sugar,” Nicole said, shrugging. Waverly laughed again and knelt down to start wiping Harper off with the towel._

_“Let the five year old measure the sugar,” Waverly said. She booped Harper on the nose. “Your mom is silly.”_

_“I’m a big girl,” Harper said, scrunching up her nose. “I can make the frosting.”_

_Before Waverly could argue that point, her phone rang. She tossed the towel to Nicole and headed out of the kitchen to find her phone. Nicole wiped a little bit more sugar off her daughter’s face, then hoisted Harper up onto one of the kitchen chairs._

_“Maybe I’ll measure and you’ll stir,” Nicole said, pushing the pile of sugar into a measuring cup. Harper nodded and grabbed a spoon off the table, gripping the mixing bowl tightly in her other hand._

_“Nicole,” Waverly said, walking back into the kitchen looking grim. “I have to go pick up Wynonna. She’s in the d-r-u-n-k tank again. The cookies will need to be rotated and put back in for five minutes. Let them cool before you frost them. I can put the next batch in when I get back.”_

_Waverly gave Nicole a kiss, then kissed the top of Harper’s head where there was the least amount of sugar. She headed out, silently hoping the other two wouldn’t make more of a mess. Nicole finished measuring everything out for the frosting and set Harper to stirring while she checked the cookies. When she turned back, Harper was holding the bowl sideways and getting frosting all over her shirt._

_“Sweetie, hold the bowl like this,” Nicole said, setting the bowl back on the table. She helped Harper finish stirring, then set the bowl on the counter. “Want to help get the cookies on the cooling rack?”_

_“Yes!” Harper said, hopping off the chair and running over to the oven. Nicole dragged the chair over and Harper climbed up, holding her hand out for Nicole to hand her the spatula. Nicole obliged and Harper set to work moving the cookies off the tray. She only dropped one, but Nicole was fast enough to catch it before it hit the floor. “Nice catch, hot stuff!”_

_“Harper, you don’t call me that,” Nicole cringed, mentally cursing Wynonna._

_“Sorry, mommy,” Harper said. She handed Nicole a cookie and kissed her cheek. Nicole took a bite of the cookie then kissed Harper’s forehead as she scooped her up and deposited her on the floor. “Can we frost the cookies now?”_

_“Not yet, sweetie,” Nicole said. “The cookies need to cool down first, like mama said. Why don’t we go upstairs and get cleaned up.”_

_“Noooo,” Harper whined and jutted her bottom lip out in a pout._

_“Yes, we are complete messes,” Nicole said, looking down at her own shirt that was covered in frosting and sugar. “We’ll get cleaned up, then we’ll start frosting and then mama will be back and we can make the rest of the cookies.”_

_“OK,” Harper said, spinning on her heel and running upstairs._

_Nicole jogged to keep up with her and halfway up the stairs got hit in the face with Harper’s discarded shirt. Harper stood at the top of the stairs, giggling like mad. Nicole pulled the shirt off her head then chased after Harper, catching her before she reached her bedroom. They both laughed as Nicole swung Harper around in the air and carried her to the bathroom._

_Once they were both wearing clean clothes and had gotten all the sugar off their faces, they hopped down the stairs together, back to the kitchen. Nicole put all the cookies on a plate and grabbed the frosting off the counter. Harper snatched the spoon out of the frosting and dropped a huge dollop on one of the cookies._

_“This frosting has to cover all the cookies,” Nicole said, trying to spread the frosting out between two other cookies. “So we can’t put too much on one.”_

_“We can make more frosting,” Harper said, pointing the spoon at Nicole._

_“I can’t really argue with that logic,” Nicole said. She held out a cookie and let Harper drop a mound of frosting on top._

_“Mom?” Harper asked as she smashed the frosting around on the cookie. “Can Aunt Wynonna help make cookies when she gets home?”_

_Nicole swallowed hard and grabbed everything they’d need to make more frosting. “We can ask her when she gets home. Do you want to make some different colored frosting?”_

_Harper nodded emphatically so Nicole dug through the cabinets until she found the food coloring. She pulled out a few more bowls and started mixing up more frosting for Harper to color._

_Waverly and Wynonna’s return was announced by yelling from the porch. Harper had finished frosting the batch of cookies and so Nicole handed her some sprinkles before stepping outside. Wynonna was leaning against the railing, looking unsteady, and Waverly was standing with her back to the door yelling at Wynonna for being wasted at two o’clock in the afternoon._

_“I was celebrating,” Wynonna said, waving off her sister’s anger. “Another revenant down! Thirty-nine dead, thirty-eight to go. That’s over halfway done, baby girl!”_

_“You can celebrate all you want,” Waverly snapped at her. “But don’t interrupt my day with my family by throwing a chair at Champ!”_

_“I didn’t throw a chair at him,” Wynonna said. “I kicked a chair at him.”_

_“Could you two keep it down?” Nicole said, stepping between them. “Harper can hear you.”_

_“So what?” Wynonna said. She tried to take a step forward but stumbled into Nicole’s shoulder. Nicole caught Wynonna and steadied her. “Halfway to Harper not having to deal with this family bullshit! Don’t you want that for your daughter? That’s what I want for my daughter. Oh right, me and my daughter are stuck with this fucking curse while you three can fuck off anytime you want!”_

_“Wynonna, we’re not going anywhere,” Waverly said, going from angry to heartbroken in a second. She ducked under Wynonna’s arm and helped her to the house._

_“That’s dumb, Waves,” Wynonna said. “You all should run far away.”_

_“Nicole, go ahead and start the next batch with Harper,” Waverly sighed. “I’ll take care of Wynonna.”_

_“Harper was hoping Wynonna could help with the cookies,” Nicole said, lowering her voice. “What should I tell her?”_

_“Tell her I will after thirty-eight more revs get it right between the eyes,” Wynonna said, poking Waverly between the eyes._

_“I’ll deal with it,” Waverly said. “Keep her focused on the cookies.”_

_Nicole nodded and returned to the kitchen. She half expected to find sprinkles everywhere, but Harper was carefully placing the sprinkles on each cookie one by one. When Nicole got closer, she could see Harper was trying to make letters on top of the cookies. There was a decent H, a wobbly N and she was halfway through what Nicole supposed was supposed to be a W._

_“Those are looking wonderful, sweetie,” Nicole said. She knelt down next to Harper and rubbed her back gently, kissing her daughter’s shoulder. Harper had been learning the alphabet and had insisted on knowing what letters Waverly’s and Nicole’s names began with because they wouldn’t know which was which if she wrote M on everything. Nicole felt so proud watching Harper finish her sprinkle W._

_“We have to try the cookies,” Harper said, handing Nicole the one with the N on it._

_“Should we wait for mama to come downstairs?” Nicole asked._

_“We need to make sure they are good for her,” Harper said matter-of-factly. Nicole laughed, then nodded. Once Harper had her H cookie in hand, they both bit into their cookies. They were more frosting than cookie and Nicole and Harper ended up with frosting all over their faces._

_“I knew I shouldn’t have left you two alone with the frosting,” Waverly said, walking into the kitchen with a big smile on her face. Nicole reached for the towel, but Waverly stopped her. “Hold on, let me get a picture of my girls.”_

_Nicole and Harper smiled, clutching their half-eaten cookies. Once Waverly took the picture, Nicole put her cookie down and started wiping off Harper’s face. Waverly went to the fridge to get out more cookie dough, but Nicole caught the back of her shirt and spun her around, placing a messy, frosting covered kiss on her lips. Harper laughed and clapped as her moms hugged each other tightly._

_“I know you’re worried about her,” Nicole whispered in Waverly’s ear. “But she’ll be OK. We’ll all be OK.”_

_Waverly nodded as she pulled away and got out the cookie dough. She handed the bowl to Nicole to start scooping then went to help Harper add sprinkles to the rest of the cookies._

* * *

Waverly double checked everything was ready to go one last time. The cookies were set out on trays, the frosting was colored and put in bowls and the sprinkle shakers were open. It all seemed ready when she noticed the blue frosting was missing. Slowly spinning around, Waverly looked over at Harper who was sitting with her back to the kitchen.

“When I walk over there, there had better not be a spoonful of frosting your mouth,” Waverly said, stalking over to the couch. Harper pulled the spoon out of her mouth and smiled sheepishly. Waverly snatched the bowl of frosting away from her. “This is for the kids.”

Harper pushed herself off the couch and followed Waverly back into the kitchen. Waverly set the frosting back on the table on replaced the spoon Harper had taken with a clean one. Harper dropped her spoon in the sink and grabbed a cookie, dipping it into the frosting before taking a bite.

“Those are also for the kids,” Waverly said, swatting Harper on the arm.

“Well they’re late and I’m hungry,” Harper said, shoving the rest of the cookie in her mouth. Before she could finish chewing, the front door slammed open and three kids came running into the kitchen. The youngest of the group ran right into Harper’s legs, wrapping her arms tightly around Harper, while the older two sat down at the table, asking Waverly if they could get started.

“Hold on,” Waverly said, looking for the adults that should have been with the children. Harper scooped her daughter and sat down at the table with the little girl on her lap. “We’ll wait for everyone to get here before we start. Where are they?”

“We got a flat tire down the road,” Alice said. She reached out and put cookies on everyone’s plates. “Mama and Aunt Nicole stayed to fix it. Sarah should be here any second.”

Sarah walked into the kitchen as if on cue, looking annoyed. 

“Alice, I told you not to run ahead,” Sarah said, walking over to Harper and Rachel. “Waverly, they’re going to be a few minutes, so they said we can get started without them.”

“Alright,” Waverly said. Alice and Margaret didn’t need any more than that. They started spreading frosting and digging into the sprinkles. Rachel was more tentative, making Harper hold the cookie while she carefully placed frosting on top.

Over half the cookies had been frosted when Wynonna and Nicole came in. Margaret jumped up to show Nicole her cookies while Alice handed one to her mama for her to eat. 

“Looks like you guys have been busy,” Nicole said. Margaret pulled her over to the table and made her decorate her own cookie.

“It reminds me of when I was little,” Harper said, taking a bite of a cookie Rachel held up for her. “Nicole-”

“Yeah?” Nicole asked, looking over at Harper, who was now sitting still and frowning. “What is it?”

“Nothing, never mind,” Harper shook her head. She handed Rachel off to Sarah and stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

She headed out of the kitchen and out onto the porch. Waverly started to follow after her, but Wynonna stopped her.

“I’ve got this,” Wynonna said. “You keep decorating. And remember to save some sprinkles for me.”

Harper leaned against the railing, hunched over with her head in her hands. Wynonna watched her for a second, trying to gauge how best to approach her niece. She stepped out onto the porch and grabbed Harper, pulling her into a big hug. Harper let Wynonna hug her, but didn’t hug back.

“What are you doing?” Harper asked when Wynonna let her go.

“I’m here to find out what’s up with you,” Wynonna said, slapping Harper’s arm. “The hug was to grease the wheels.”

“I’m fine,” Harper said. “Just getting some air. There are a lot of people in there.”

“Don’t even try it with me, Harpsichord,” Wynona said. “I invented Earp feelings denial.”

“You do know Harper is already a nickname, right?” Harper said. “You don’t need to nickname a nickname.”

“You can’t distract me, so start talking,” Wynonna said as she leaned her hip against the railing and gave Harper a pointed look.

“I was thinking about how we used to do this when I was a kid. My moms and me, anyway,” Harper said. She turned back towards the house and looked in at everyone decorating their cookies, smiling and laughing. “I was thinking about that one picture I have, it’s of me and mom and there is frosting all over our faces. I can’t remember when it was taken. I guess I was maybe five? I almost asked Nicole, but of course she wouldn’t know, she wasn’t there. Suddenly I just really missed my moms and I needed to get out of there.”

Wynonna pulled Harper into another hug, this time Harper hugged her back. “I knew you needed a hug.”

Harper chuckled softly as she stepped out of the hug. She rubbed her eyes to keep any tears from forming.

“I think I can speak for everybody when I say, we have no idea what it’s like for you,” Wynonna said, putting her hands on Harper’s shoulders. “But, dude, you are freakin’ awesome and we are so insanely grateful for what you did. We all love you and are here for you. You don’t need to run away when you’re sad or feeling things. I’ve tried that, it doesn’t work. It bites you in the ass and hurts the people you love, which really just makes you feel worse.”

“I guess I still don’t know how to deal with this,” Harper said. “Waverly and Nicole are so great. I love them, I do, but it’s hard to think about my moms not being at my wedding or seeing their granddaughter or carrying on the cookie frosting tradition. And then the last time I saw mama, she was yelling at me to step away from the time portal.”

“OK, well, that may have technically been a different Waverly,” Wynonna said. “But I guarantee that any Waverly in any universe only gets mad at us because she loves us and wants to protects us. They may not have seen all this, but they would be super proud of you and what you’ve done. We all are. If that helps.”

“It’s nice to hear,” Harper said, shrugging. “It’s not everything, but it’s a start.”

“Maybe you can sit down with Waverly and Nicole and tell them all you can think of?” Wynonna suggested. “It’s not perfect, but we Earps don’t really do perfect to begin with.”

“Maybe I will,” Harper nodded. “Later, though, I want to eat more cookies now.”

“You mean you want to eat more frosting,” Wynonna said, making Harper laughed. “That you get from the Haught side. We Earps are sprinkle people.”

Wynonna threw her arm around Harper and they walked inside together. Waverly looked up at them when they reentered the kitchen, clearly still worried. Harper smiled at her and Wynonna gave her a wink. Harper could tell Waverly wanted to talk later, but she was willing to let Harper be for now.

“Everyone squish together,” Harper said, pulling out her phone. The whole family slid to one side of the table and bunched up as tightly as they could. Harper stretched her arm out as far as she could reach, then snapped the picture. “Perfect.”


	4. Festival

_Alice leaned on the back of the Jeep, staring glumly at the festivities in front of her. The whole town was packed into the small carnival grounds and Alice wanted nothing to do with it. Her aunts and cousin were helping Nedley unload the back of his truck. Since retirement, he’d spent most his time helping organize town functions and this year he had been in charge of the Purgatory Pioneer Festival t-shirts._

_Harper set a large cardboard box down and ripped it open. She dug through the contents before producing two matching brown festival shirts with the word ‘volunteer’ in all caps on the back. Alice glared at her when Harper tried to hand her one._

_“You have to wear it,” Harper said, trying again. When Alice refused to take it, Harper tossed the shirt onto the Jeep and then pulled her own shirt over her button-up flannel._

_“Remind me again why I have to do this,” Alice said as she grabbed the shirt. Holding it up, she could see a covered wagon with the words ‘Purgatory Pioneer Festival’ emblazoned on the side and a banner underneath that said ‘Celebrating Earp Country’._

_“Because the other option is me filing a report on all that stolen liquor,” Nicole said. She was wearing her full sheriff's uniform complete with stetson. Alice wondered if she was actually on duty of simply reminding Alice that she was the sheriff. “I personally think this is a better use of your time than picking up trash on the side of the road.”_

_“Unlikely,” Alice mumbled as she pulled on her volunteer shirt._

_“You two look great!” Waverly said, giving Harper a big hug. Alice stepped back in case her aunt got any ideas about hugging her, but Waverly stayed with an arm around her daughter._

_“Thanks, mama,” Harper said, adjusting one of her sleeves. “Is Aunt Wynonna gonna make an appearance?”_

_Waverly and Nicole glanced at each other, communicating silently in the way only people who know each other completely can._

_“Wynonna is still sleeping,” Waverly said slowly. “She had a late night.”_

_They all actively avoided looking in Alice’s direction, the silence hung heavy in the air around them._

_“Where are you stationed?” Nicole asked brightly, hoping to change the subject._

_“We’ll be working the One Ball game,” Harper said._

_“The what?” Alice asked, dreading whatever it was._

_“You know, there are three milk bottles that you have to knock over with a softball,” Harper explained with excitement in her voice. Alice rolled her eyes. “What? It’s fun.”_

_“Whatever you say,” Alice said._

_“I always loved working the games,” Waverly said. “I’m sure you two will have a blast!”_

_“Yeah, cause Harper is so much fun,” Alice said, pushing past her family and heading to the carnival grounds. Waverly was about to yell after Alice, but Harper stopped her._

_“Just leave it, mama,” Harper said. “I know somewhere deep, deep, deep, deep, very deep down, she doesn’t mean it.”_

_“You’re such a great kid, you know that?” Waverly said, giving Harper a hug. Then she spotted Chrissy Nedley and waved. “I have to go say hi to Chrissy. I’ll see you inside!”_

_Waverly ran off after Chrissy leaving Harper and Nicole alone. Nicole threw her arm around her daughter and gave her a small squeeze._

_“You really are a great kid,” Nicole said._

_“It's fine, I can deal with Alice,” Harper said, looking over at her mom._

_“I know,” Nicole said, nodding. “But I am so sorry about tonight, I just don’t want to put her in the system.”_

_“I hope you show me the same kindness when I murder her later tonight,” Harper said as they started to walk towards the festival._

_“You won’t do that,” Nicole said. “You are far too nice.”_

_“I guess,” Harper sighed. When they reached the entrance, they said their goodbyes and Harper set off to the One Ball stand._

* * *

_“Step right up! Test your skill! One ball! Three bottles! Take your chance!” Harper yelled out into the crowd in her best announcer voice. Alice sat on a folding chair at the back of the booth staring down at her phone. “One dollar for one ball! Who’ll be the next to knock ‘em down!”_

_“You are enjoying this way too much,” Alice said, looking up to glare at her cousin._

_“That’s the point of the festival,” Harper said. “To enjoy ourselves.”_

_Alice rolled her eyes as Harper went back to yelling. A family stepped up to the booth and purchased a ball for each of the kids. The first two hit the milk bottles, but they didn’t fall. The third threw a wild pitch completely missing the bottles and nearly hitting Alice._

_“Oh, so close!” Harper said, pulling out three plastic harmonicas and handing them to the kids._

_When the family walked away, Alice slid her chair closer to Harper so she could see inside the prize basket._

_“They get something even if they lose?” Alice asked._

_“This is a place of joy and town bonding,” Harper said, sliding the basket away from Alice. It was full of silly plastic toys for kids, but Harper still didn’t trust Alice with it. “So we give out consolation prizes. I know you totally hate it here and I want you to know that I’m not going to rat you out to my moms, but could you at least pick up the balls and put them in the bin for me?”_

_“Fine.” Alice grabbed all the balls she could reach and tossed them over to the bin. Several missed but she made no move to retrieve them. “I know why I’m stuck here, but why are you?”_

_“I’m not stuck here, I want to be here,” Harper said. She went around the booth and picked up all the balls Alice had missed. “I like helping out.”_

_“Wow,” Alice laughed. “You are so lame.”_

_Harper threw the balls into the bin a little harder than she’d meant to, so several shot back out and she had to pick them up again. The Pioneer Festival was one of her favorite times of the year and she was stuck with her surly cousin who was determined to ruin everything around her. Harper couldn’t take it anymore._

_“Alright, yeah,” she snapped. “I like town festivals and volunteering and handing out plastic junk to kids and hanging out with my moms, one of whom happens to be the sheriff. So I guess that makes me lame or whatever, but at least I don’t have a mom who’s a drunk who abandoned me. I’m happy. Unlike you.”_

_Alice stood up sharply. “I’m plenty happy,” she shouted. “You just never see it because being around you makes everything suck.” She shoved Harper hard against the wall, the entire structure swaying, before storming out of the booth._

_“Where are you going?” Harper yelled after her._

_“It’s my break,” Alice yelled back, flipping Harper off as she went._

_Harper flopped down in the chair and dropped her head onto booth’s counter, immediately regretting her words. Her moms had told her over and over to cut Alice slack. It wasn’t fair of Harper when she knew Alice couldn’t be entirely blamed for their situation. But Harper found acting the bigger person was a completely different story when Alice was constantly picking fights between them. Not to mention, she was feeling quite certain her moms were not going to be happy when they heard about this. And if Wynonna found out, there wouldn’t be peace in the house for at least a month._

_“Hey, sweetie!” Harper heard her mama call out. She lifted her head off the table and saw both her moms pushing through the crowd to the booth. When they reached her, Waverly held out some cotton candy for Harper. “How’s it going here? We brought you guys some cotton candy.”_

_“Where’s Alice?” Nicole asked, scanning the crowd around the booth._

_“She went for her break,” Harper said, trying to smile innocently. She took the cotton candy from her mother and shoved it into her mouth._

_“A little early in the evening for a break, isn’t it?” Nicole asked. She looked intently at Harper who shrugged and shoved more cotton candy into her mouth._

_“I’m sure she’ll be back soon,” Waverly said, smiling at Harper. Nothing could dampen Waverly’s spirits on a festival day. “I would like one ball please.”_

_Waverly held out the money and Harper took it, exchanging it for a ball. She stepped back as her mama sized up the milk bottles. Waverly took her time, repositioning her feet and moving her arm in a few practice throwing motions. Finally, she wound up and threw the ball, toppling all three milk bottles easily._

_“We have a winner!” Harper exclaimed as Nicole picked Waverly up from behind and spun her around. “Which prize would you like?”_

_“That one,” Waverly said, pointing at a large stuffed purple unicorn hanging in the back of the booth. Harper stood up on the folding chair to retrieve it, then held it out for her mama to take. “No, come around here. I want a picture of us with it.”_

_Harper ducked out of the side of the booth and pulled her mama into a tight hug with the unicorn squashed between them. “I love you guys,” Harper said. They smiled and laughed as Nicole lifted up her phone to take the picture._

_Alice watched from the narrow space between two gaming booths, scowling at her aunts and cousin. She kicked a small rock out into the crowd, then turned her back on the festival. Walking off into the darkness, she muttered, “I’d rather pick up trash anyway.”_

* * *

“But you promised!” Alice cried and stamped her feet while Wynonna looked on helplessly. 

“I know, but I have to work,” Wynonna pleaded. She knelt down and tried to hug Alice, but Alice backed away and cried louder. Waverly had just taken Margaret upstairs for a nap and Wynonna was worried Alice’s screams would wake the baby. “Please, baby girl, we can go tomorrow.”

“I want to go now!” Alice shrieked.

“What’s going on in here?” Harper asked, wandering into the kitchen behind Wynonna. Alice cried harder and Harper looked over at Wynonna for an explanation.

“I told her we’d go to the Pioneer Festival today, but Dolls just called-”

“And you have to work,” Harper finished for her. “Would it be alright if I took Alice today, then you two can go together tomorrow? I mean, you can’t do the Purgatory Pioneer Festival in only one day!”

Alice stopped crying and looked up at Harper, bottom lip trembling. After a tense moment, Alice sniffled, then nodded. Wynonna breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and hugged Harper.

“I owe you one,” Wynonna said. She patted Harper on the shoulder, then turned back to Alice. “You be good for your cousin, alright?”

Alice nodded again, wiping tears from her eyes. Wynonna gave her a hug and a kiss, then grabbed Peacemaker off the table and hurried out of the house. Harper offered Alice her hand and Alice took it, now smiling. They walked out to Harper’s car and headed off to the festival. 

The whole drive over, Alice bounced in her seat and listed all the things she wanted to do once they got there. Over half the list was food she wanted to eat, cotton candy being mentioned no fewer than four times. She was so excited that she darted out of the car the second Harper parked. Harper had to jump out and retrieve her then return to the car to turn it off.

Harper had to keep a firm grip on Alice’s hand as Alice dragged her to the festival grounds. Right inside the gate was the cotton candy vendor and Alice jumped up and down tugging hard on Harper’s arm.

“Cotton candy please!” She said. “I said please!”

“Alright, hold on,” Harper said, fishing her wallet out of her pocket. “What color do you want?”

“Blue!” Alice said excitedly. “Daddy says it’s dainty and delicate, just like me!”

“Oh yeah, you’re really dainty and delicate,” Harper laughed. She handed over the money and got a blue cotton candy. Alice grabbed it from her, biting a huge mouthful off the top. “So where to first? I think there is a rodeo show starting in a few minutes.”

Alice nodded vigorously and pulled Harper over to the show area. Kids not much older than Alice were putting on a rope show, lassoing various homemade props. Alice watched, eyes wide, leaning as far forward as she could. Harper laughed at her eagerness and picked her up so she could see better.

“That is so cool!” Alice said, pointing at a boy who had successfully gotten his rope around the neck of a fake sheep on wheels. “Can you do that?”

“Oh, no,” Harper said, shaking her head. “I tried once, but I ended up tying myself up.”

“That’s silly,” Alice laughed gleefully. 

They watched the show for a few more minutes when the performers started asking people in the audience if they wanted to try. Alice looked at Harper, who told her to go ahead. She jumped out of Harper’s arms and ducked under the fence to get in line. Harper followed her just to keep an eye on her and make sure she minded her manners. When it was her turn, Alice went after the fake sheep with gusto. She missed the first several times, but with a little help from a parent volunteer, Alice finally managed to catch the sheep. She leapt up in the air and Harper clapped and cheered for her. The volunteer handed Alice a sticker that said “Future Rodeo Champion” on it and she presented to Harper.

“Do you want to wear it on your shirt?” Harper asked, taking the sticker from her cousin.

“No,” Alice shook her head. “I want to keep it for later.”

“Alright, I’ll keep it safe until we get home,” Harper said. She slipped the sticker in her pocket then looked around the festival grounds. “So what do you want to try next?”

“Games!” Alice said, bouncing once again. “I want to win a big prize for mama!”

“Absolutely,” Harper agreed. “Any game in particular?”

“All of them!” Alice said, running off towards the game stalls. Harper chased after her, catching her at a the goldfish bowl game. Alice insisted on starting with that one, so Harper paid for three balls and prayed Alice missed her shots. She did not want to explain bringing home a goldfish to Wynonna. Fortunately, Alice missed and was rewarded with a small plastic goldfish instead of a living one. 

They walked down the line of games, stopping at each one for Alice to have a try. She didn’t manage to win any, but got a small trinket from each booth all the same. When they reached the last booth, Alice tugged on Harper’s sleeve and motioned for Harper to get closer. Harper bent down and Alice whispered into her ear.

“I can’t win, you’ll have to do it.” Alice looked very seriously at Harper, then pointed at the One Ball booth. “I know you play softball. You got this.”

Harper couldn’t help but laugh at Alice’s very serious tone. Alice scowled at her and Harper did her best to match her cousin’s seriousness. Harper walked up to the booth and bought a ball, then she took a step back. Sizing up the milk bottles, she adjusted her feet then moved her arm in a few practice throws. When she was ready, she wound up and released the ball. The ball struck the bottles perfectly and they all came tumbling down.

“We have a winner!” The teenager working the booth yelled out over the noise of the crowd. “Pick your prize!”

“What would you like?” Harper asked, picking Alice up so she could have a better view. 

“That one!” Alice pointed at a large brown bear wearing a cowboy hat. “It looks like daddy!”

“He really does,” a voice behind them said. Alice and Harper both turned to see Wynonna striding towards them.

“Mama!” Alice shouted, leaping into Wynonna’s arms and squeezing her tightly around her neck.

“Hey, you made it,” Harper said.

“Yeah, I decided Dolls could handle the rest of the day without me. I couldn’t miss a festival day with my best girl.” Wynonna gently poked Alice in the stomach, causing her to squeal.

The kid at the booth handed over the bear and Alice squeezed it tightly under one arm, refusing to completely let go of Wynonna. Harper pulled out her phone and lifted her arm above them, waiting for Alice to look up and smile before snapping the picture. Once Harper had a good shot of the three of them, Alice jumped down and took Harper’s hand.

“C’mon, Harper. You’ve gotta buy me and mama a funnel cake,” she said, tugging on Harper’s arm toward the tents of food.

“You heard the boss,” Wynonna said to Harper. “Time for funnel cakes.”

They made their way to the tent where Harper bought them all funnel cakes, which Alice dove into with gusto. When she finished, she looked up at Harper and her mama with a powdered sugar smile.

“I love your enthusiasm for fried food, kiddo,” Wynonna said. “But you’re a mess. Let me clean you up.” She patted Alice on the head before getting up from the picnic table in search of napkins.

“Thank you for taking me to the festival,” Alice said.

“No problem. But I bet you’re glad your mama came today,” Harper said, watching Alice lick some powdered sugar from her fingers.

“Yeah, but you’re still the best cousin in the world.”

Harper beamed down at her and had to blink back a few tears.

“So what’s next?” Wynonna returned, immediately making an attempt to clean her daughter face of sugar.

“I want to go on a ride!” Alice squirmed excitedly, trying to get out of Wynonna’s grasp. Wynonna relented, allowing Alice to grab her and Harper, pulling them both towards the hayrides. Harper listened to the sounds of Alice's laugh and couldn’t help but feel like this is how it was always meant to be.


	5. Lesson

_A pen came flying out into the hallway, narrowly missing Harper. She bent down to pick it up only to be hit by a flying notebook. Grabbing the notebook, Harper stomped into the kitchen and dropped them heavily down in front of Alice._

_“Would you please not throw things,” Harper asked, trying to keep her voice pleasant. Alice snatched the notebook and threw it out into the hall again. They both watched as it hit the wall, a few papers dislodging from the spiral binding and fluttering gently to the ground._

_“Fine,” Harper said. “I’m just here to raid Wynonna’s snacks, so you do whatever you want.”_

_Harper walked around the table to the fridge where Wynonna had hidden the good snacks. Since Harper was taller than the fridge, she had no problem finding what she was looking for. Grabbing the jar of M &Ms, she turned to leave only to find Waverly standing in the door holding up the discarded notebook._

_“What’s going on in here?” Waverly asked. She walked over to the table and set the notebook down in front of Alice, who pulled it closer to her and flipped it back open._

_“Studying,” Alice said, resuming a doodle in the margins of her GED workbook. Harper tried to step around her mama to leave, but Waverly caught her arm and made her stay put._

_“Harper,” Waverly said in a firm tone, “You’re not doing anything right now, how about you help Alice with her work.”_

_“Mama,” Harper started to protest, but Waverly pushed her down into the chair next to Alice. There was no arguing with her mama, so Harper reluctantly pulled a couple of Alice’s workbooks closer to her./ ___

_“So what are you working on?” Harper asked, knowing it was best to at least try and help._

_Alice shoved a book toward Harper, not looking up from her doodling._

_“Geometry,” Harper said, reading over one of the pages. “OK, that’s not so bad. How far did you get?”_

_“Great,” Alice grumbled. “Like I don’t feel stupid enough already, I’m getting help from my baby cousin.”_

_Before Harper could formulate a response, Waverly came back into the kitchen, this time, holding up her phone._

_“Look at you two,” she smiled. “Harper, let me take a picture of you for the family album.”_

_“This is so stupid,” Alice shouted after Waverly had snapped a photo. “I don’t need a GED to shoot demons.”_

_“But you need one for your life outside of demons,” Waverly said, letting her phone drop to her side. "You're more than this curse."_

_“Wynonna kind of took any possibility of normality away from me when she drunkenly stumbled into my life,” Alice said. She slammed the workbook shut and shoved it away from her, standing and storming out of the Homestead._

* * *

_Nicole found Alice out in the barn, having witnessed the end of the scene in the kitchen. Alice hadn’t gone far, just putting enough space between her and the house so she could feel like she could breathe again._

_Alice sighed, watching Nicole step through the door. She pushed off the wall she was leaning against with her shoulders._

_“I’m sorry I yelled at Harper and Waverly,” Alice said, “I’ll go apologize.”_

_“Hold up.” Nicole touched Alice lightly on the arm. “Relax, I know how intense Waverly can be and I know you didn’t mean it.”_

_“OK,” Alice said carefully, not entirely sure what Nicole was doing out here, if not to reprimand her. She scuffed her shoe against the hard packed dirt of the floor, feeling awkward and exposed in front of her aunt._

_“How are you doing?” Nicole finally asked._

_“Fine."_

_Nicole leveled her gaze at Alice. “Fine?” Nicole asked skeptically. “You’ve been through a lot this year. It’s OK for you to not be fine.”_

_Alice tensed and a moment passed when Nicole thought Alice was about to storm off again. Instead, Alice’s shoulders sagged in defeat._

_“It’s hard, OK? Is that what you want to hear? I’m trying, I really am. Studying. Not fighting with Wynonna. I’m trying to change. Trying to be an Earp. But it’s hard.”_

_Nicole took her hat off her head and sighed heavily. “Alice, I know you think it’s difficult to be an Earp, but the thing is, you’ve always been an Earp. You don’t need to change who you are.”_

_“Then what am I doing wrong?” Alice asked, her voice barely a whisper._

_“You’re not, I promise. All we want is for you to show up,” Nicole answered._

_“You make it sound so easy, but it doesn’t make me feel any less out of place in this family.”_

_Nicole paced slightly, nervously running her hand around the brim of her sheriff's hat._

_“It was me, you know,” Nicole said, shoving her hat roughly back on her head._

_“You, what?” Alice asked._

_“That day. The day you were born. I was the one who carried you over the line.” Nicole’s voice was low, but her words cut through the air. Alice sucked in a sharp breath. She’d never heard the story of what happened, too scared to ask about how easily they’d given her up._

_“Bobo had taken Waverly, I think he hoped to arrange a trade in order to bring you to Bulshar. Nicole closed her eyes, the memory coming back to her._

_“What happened?” Alice asked, keeping her eyes fixed on Nicole._

_“You know Waverly, she certainly wasn’t going to let that shit-ticket use her as leverage.”_

_“Yeah, that sounds like her,” Alice said, her words coming out as a strained laugh._

_Nicole nodded, “Everyone else was pinned down at the sheriff's station. So it had to be me.” She let her glance shift to Alice, locking eyes and fixing her with an intense gaze. “There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t feel responsible for all of your troubles. For tearing you away from the family.”_

_Nicole’s confession hung in the air. Alice took a hesitant step toward Nicole, carefully wrapping her arms around Nicole in a gentle hug._

_“I don’t blame you," Alice said._

_“Thanks, kid.” Nicole said, placing a hand on Alice’s shoulder. “I know you’ve had a rough go of things and I know you think a lot of what’s happened to you is unfair, but I also believe you’re tough. You’re an Earp and things are gonna be OK.”_

_“I’ve helped Wynonna face down demons, but I think math is going to kick my ass,” Alice admitted._

_Nicole let a loud bark of laughter out, “OK, how about I make you a deal. You let Harper help you and I’ll make sure Waverly gives you both some space.”_

_“That sounds good with me.” Alice smiled and allowed Nicole to lead her back to the homestead._

* * *

__“What do you mean you think it went that way?” Wynonna yelled as she yanked Harper to her feet._ _

__“It’s a little hard to keep track of demon movements when you are flying backwards through the air,” Harper said, brushing herself off._ _

__“What are we supposed to do now?” Wynonna asked. She looked around the clearing they were standing in, but saw no signs of the demon they’d just been fighting. Her phone started ringing and she awkwardly fished it out of her pocket, not wanting to put Peacemaker away. “It’s probably Dolls. I’ll tell him you lost the demon.”_ _

__“I didn’t-”_ _

__“Hello,” Wynonna said. Harper stepped closer in the event she needed to defend herself from Wynonna’s accusations, but Wynonna’s face fell and she abruptly started back towards the truck. “I’ll be right there.”_ _

__“What’s going on?” Harper asked. Wynonna was eerily quiet and only motioned for Harper to get in the truck. “Wynonna? What happened?”_ _

__Wynonna turned on the truck and pulled out of the clearing a little fast, sending dirt flying up behind them. She cursed under her breath and sped up._ _

__“OK, I am officially worried,” Harper said, making sure her seatbelt was secured._ _

__“Alice is being sent home for the rest of the week for fighting,” Wynonna said. “I have given that girl everything and still she’s… she’s turning into me!”_ _

__“That’s not a bad thing,” Harper said, relieved no one in the family was in serious danger._ _

__“If she gets expelled...” Wynonna said, not finishing her sentence._ _

__They sat in silence for the rest of the drive. Wynonna pulled up to the front of the school, stopping in the firelane and slamming the door on her way out of the truck. Harper thought about staying in the in the truck to avoid getting a ticket, but decided to follow after Wynonna in hopes of protecting Alice from some of Wynonna’s wrath._ _

__“Mrs. Haught, what are you doing here?” The woman at the reception desk, Mrs. Becker, looked at Harper confused. “The elementary school students’ mentorship program starts next week. Bring Rachel then.”_ _

__“Oh, no, I’m actually here with Wynonna to pick up Alice Earp,” Harper said. Mrs. Becker stared at Harper, clearly confused. Harper knew that look from all the times she’d been in the office as a teen trying to get Alice out of trouble. Mrs. Becker never understood why Harper wasted her time on a delinquent. This time it was more likely Mrs. Becker didn’t know Harper and Alice were related. “I’m Alice’s, uh, aunt.”_ _

__“Right,” Mrs. Becker said. “They are in with the principal, so it will be a minute.”_ _

__Harper nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs outside the principal’s office. She’d been in this timeline for over ten years and still found it weird to see all the people she used to know not having any idea who she was. The bell rang and Harper watched her old classmates pour out into the halls and jostle past each other to their next class._ _

__“We need to get you to the hospital, make sure it’s not broken.” Harper turned to see Wynonna and Alice walking out of the principal’s office. Alice had her hand wrapped up in ice and, although Wynonna no longer looked furious, Harper could tell she was still struggling. She had a fierce look in her eyes, conflicting emotions warring inside. Harper knew how much Wynonna feared not being the best mother to Alice. That every mistake she made would somehow ruin Alice’s life._ _

__“Everything alright?” Harper asked. She stood up and opened the door for the them._ _

__“Alice may have broken her thumb because she doesn’t know how to throw a punch,” Wynonna said, escorting her daughter to the truck. They climbed in, Alice sandwiched in the middle, then Wynonna started the drive to the hospital._ _

__“But are we mad?” Harper asked. A few minutes before Wynonna had been ready to tear Alice a new one, but now was perfectly calm._ _

__“Not sure yet,” Wynonna said, gripping the steering wheel tightly._ _

__“It wasn’t my fault. The Hardy boys were making fun of me for being an Earp,” Alice said, readjusting the ice wrap on her hand. “Said we were crazy, always off hunting bigfoot and destroying the town’s reputation. Then they called the Homestead the ‘Funny Farm’.”_ _

__“Was it Jimmy?” Harper asked. Alice nodded. “That kid has always been a dick.”_ _

__Wynonna kept her eyes focused on the road ahead._ _

__“Listen,” Harper said. “I know a bit about fighting like hell for my family, so I get the instinct to do everything you can to protect the people you love.”_ _

__“But you’re a kid and there are rules,” Wynonna cut in. “And I can’t have you throwing your life away because of some stupid fight.”_ _

__Alice slumped back into the seat, a frown settling on her face. She slipped her earbuds out of her sweatshirt pocket, swiping on her phone to turn on her music._ _

__“Hey.” Harper leaned over, whispering to Wynonna. “Everything is going to be fine. Alice is a great kid and it’s because she takes after you.”_ _

__“Not quite enough like me.” Wynonna reached around the seat, tugging the headphones from her daughter’s ears. “From now on, what do we do when Champ’s kids are being assholes?”_ _

__“Punch with the thumb on the outside?” Alice replied. Harper glanced between her aunt and cousin to see if they were joking. They were not._ _

__“You two are ridiculous, ” Harper said. Both Wynonna and Alice laughed at her._ _

__“And keep your wrist straight,” Wynonna said, demonstrating over the steering wheel. “Don’t want a broken wrist either.”_ _

__Harper shook her head as Alice and Wynonna started doing practice punches. “Personally, I am partial to the elbow.”_ _

__Harper demonstrated a quick elbow strike while Alice started at her. Wynonna glanced over and rolled her eyes._ _

__“Of course you do,” Wynonna said. “You’ve got orangutan arms! Your elbow reach is longer than my whole arm.”_ _

__“I’m telling Waverly you said that,” Harper said, doing another another elbow strike over the dashboard._ _

__“Tattletale,” Wynonna said. She tried to reach across Alice to swat at Harper, but Harper leaned out of the way._ _

__“And that is the final lesson of fighting,” Harper said, laughing at Wynonna’s repeated attempts to reach her._ _

__“What is?” Alice asked, trying to elbow strike without hitting Harper._ _

__“When fists and elbows don’t work,” Harper said. “Tell your mama. She’ll fuck ‘em up for you.”_ _

__“Ain’t that the truth,” Wynonna laughed. They pulled into the hospital parking lot, but Wynonna stopped them from getting out. She pulled her phone out and leaned over to get all three of them in the picture. “First Earp fighting lesson picture!”_ _

__“Shouldn’t this wait until after your daughter sees a doctor?” Harper asked. Wynonna snapped the picture while Harper was talking, then hopped out._ _

__“Nope,” Wynonna said, reaching out to help Alice out of the truck. “The fresh battle wounds really make the picture.”_ _

__Harper sighed then followed after them. This wasn’t the lesson she had imagined she would be teaching Alice, but then Harper supposed she should have known better. Alice was still Wynonna Earp’s daughter, after all._ _


	6. Love

_Harper sat on the fence by the festival entrance waiting for Bethany. She was running late after agreeing to help coach the girl’s high school team at the last minute. Harper watched the crowds go by and hugged her arms around herself to keep warm._

_“I am so sorry,” Bethany said, running up to Harper. She tugged Harper off the fence and stood up on her tiptoes to give Harper a kiss. “Mrs. Graham wanted to over all the lines today for some reason. I think she’s the only one in town who doesn’t like coming to the Pioneer Festival.”_

_“She’s not the only one,” Harper said. She put her arm around Bethany as walked through the gate. “Alice definitely hates it.”_

_“Alice hates everything,” Bethany said. “Wait, no, whisky. She loves whisky.”_

_“That she does,” Harper said, shaking her head. Her cousin and aunt both had an affinity for the drink which usually just made their relationship worse. “Enough about Alice, what do you want to do tonight?”_

_“I could use a soft pretzel,” Bethany said, pointing over at food vendor._

_“Consider it done,” Harper said, leading Bethany over to the soft pretzels. She bought two and handed one over to Bethany._

_“I feel like I should pay since I kept you waiting so long,” Bethany said, lacing her gloved fingers with Harper’s._

_“How about you pay for the first ride,” Harper suggested, bending down to kiss Bethany. “And how about the first ride be the Ferris wheel?”_

_Bethany laughed and sped up, pulling Harper after her. The Pioneer Festival Ferris wheel had been the first place they’d said I love you to each other and every year they made sure it was the first ride they went on. The line was long, but they didn’t mind. They ate their pretzels and laughed, snuggling together for warmth. When they finally reached the front, Harper jumped in the car and pulled Bethany so hard she almost landed on Harper’s lap, making them both laugh. As the car went up, Harper put her arm over Bethany’s shoulders and Bethany nestled in close against Harper’s chest._

_“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” Bethany said as their car stopped for more people to get on the ride. Harper looked over at her, worry in her eyes. Bethany smiled and gave Harper a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s nothing bad.”_

_“Then what is it?” Harper asked, not quite able to slow her pounding heart. Every since Bethany had come back to Purgatory, Harper had the constant worry in the back of her mind that Bethany was going to leave again._

_“Well, I got a raise recently and was thinking about getting a bigger place,” Bethany began slowly. Harper looked at her confused, not sure why Bethany would need to talk to her about that. “And I was thinking you could help me look.”_

_“Yeah, of course,” Harper said. The car moved up a bit further, then stopped again. “Anything you need.”_

_Bethany sighed and tried again. “Harper, I want us to look for a place together.”_

_“And I said I’d help you look,” Harper said, still confused._

_“Alright, that didn’t work,” Bethany said. She sat up and turned in her seat so she could look Harper in the eye. “Agnes Haught-Earp, I want us to move in together.”_

_“Oh,” Harper said. She blinked a few times and then turned to look out over the festival grounds, unsure what to say._

_“I don’t need you to answer me right now,” Bethany said, taking Harper’s hand and holding it in her lap. “I know this would be a huge thing for you. You’ve lived on the Homestead your whole, entire life.”_

_Harper shifted awkwardly in the car, making it rock slightly. Bethany was right, she had lived with her family on the Homestead her whole life. And if Harper was being honest, she had never even considered living anywhere else. She loved Bethany, but the Homestead was more than just the house Harper had grown up in, it was the safest place in Purgatory. Of course, Bethany didn’t know that._

_“I love your moms, I really do,” Bethany said, watching Harper’s face carefully. “But we are adults now and you can’t live with your parents forever.”_

_“I love you so much,” Harper said._

_“But?” Bethany asked, knowing there was more._

_“I have always thought I’d always live at the Homestead,” Harper said. She thought for a moment, then continued. “It’s the Earp family home. It’s a part of the family.”_

_“Yeah, but, won’t Alice get the house?” Bethany said. Harper frowned at her and she panicked. “Oh god, I don’t mean because your mom isn’t really an Earp! Wynonna is the oldest and Alice is her kid, so I thought she’d get it, that’s all.”_

_“I don’t know,” Harper shrugged. “I never really thought about it.”_

_“Harper,” Bethany said, putting her hand under Harper’s chin to make Harper look her in the eye. “I want us to start setting up our life together and I’d really like to do that away from your moms and your aunt and your cousin and Henry and anyone else who occasionally lives in that house. I’d like us to maybe start thinking of ourselves as a family.”_

_Harper nodded and swallowed hard. Bethany wasn’t being unreasonable and Harper knew she’d have to start making some hard decisions._

_“Like I said, I don’t need an answer now,” Bethany said. “This is a lot for you and I want you to take your time to be comfortable with the idea. But I also need you to know where I’m at right now.”_

_“I understand,” Harper said, giving Bethany a small smile. “And I promise I will absolutely think about it. I love you and I want to start setting up our life too.”_

_“Thank you,” Bethany said. She put her hands on either side of Harper’s face and pulled her in for a kiss. When they pulled apart, Bethany smiled. “We’re almost at the top. Get the camera out.”_

_Harper fumbled with her phone, but had it ready when their car reached the top. She held the camera high, being sure to get Purgatory in the background as Bethany gave her another kiss._

* * *

Harper took Sarah’s hand and pulled her through the crowd. They weaved their way around everyone, trying to be polite and not push anyone out of the way. Harper was excited, but didn’t want to be rude. She hesitated only a moment to point out the large Purgatory Pioneer Festival banner hanging over head, then continued on through the entrance. Once they were inside, Harper went right for the food vendors.

“What do you want first?” Harper asked, rocking back and forth on her heels as she scanned the menu even though she had it memorized.

“I don’t know,” Sarah said, watching Harper’s excitement instead of looking at the options. Harper noticed Sarah watching her and reached out to gently turn Sarah’s head towards the food. Sarah laughed and leaned against Harper, tugging Harper’s arm up and around her shoulders. “Sweetie, that is a lot of sugar and fried food.”

“Yes, because this is what the pioneers ate when they came to Purgatory,” Harper said. She looked down at Sarah with a smirk on her face. “One hundred percent historically accurate.”

“Of course it is,” Sarah said. “Since I’ve never been to the Pioneer Festival before, how about you tell me what’s good. And if you say ‘all of it’, I’m leaving.”

“OK, OK,” Harper said, smiling at how well her girlfriend knew what she was going to say. “My personal belief is that you should have cotton candy early and often, but if that’s too much sugar, then the homemade soft pretzels are excellent.”

“Then let’s get some cotton candy and a soft pretzel and we’ll share,” Sarah said. Harper skipped forward and bought them their first round of snacks, then took Sarah’s hand and resumed their walk through the festival. The festival had been cancelled the previous year due to a ‘wild animal’ tearing up the fairgrounds, so Harper had to wait a whole extra year to share it with Sarah.

“As you can see, there are rides and games and shows,” Harper said, gesturing around with her cotton candy. “And more food, obviously. I want to show you all of it, so you are going to have to give me some guidance or I might lose my mind.”

“I think I can do that,” Sarah said, squeezing Harper’s hand. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited before. Your moms got engaged last week and yet this is what has you bouncing off the walls.”

“Oh come on, I knew they were going to get engaged,” Harper said. “Sure, different timeline, or whatever, but let’s be real, that was going to happen. But the Pioneer Festival! I haven’t been in years. Demon activity got so bad it had to be shut down. And then with it being cancelled last year, but I’m so excited to be back and sharing it with you!”

“You are beyond adorable right now,” Sarah said, leaning forward to take a bite out of the cotton candy Harper was still waving around. “Let’s go do a hayride. I’ve never been on one before.”

“You’ve never been on a hayride?” Harper asked. “What, were you raised in a barn?”

“If I was raised in a barn, I’m pretty sure I would have been on a hayride,” Sarah said. Harper laughed and tugged Sarah over to the hayride line. They joined the back of the line when a familiar voice called over to them.

“I do believe I can assist you ladies over here,” Doc said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at a small wagon hitched up to a horse.

“Doc? What are you doing here?” Harper asked as she and Sarah walked over to his wagon.

“I was partially responsible for the cancellation last year,” he said. “So I thought I’d pitch in to earn back some good will. Also Waverly made this nice Shorty’s banner for the wagon. Free advertising. Now hop on in.”

Harper climbed in then helped Sarah up while Doc got on the front. Once they were settled, Doc urged the horse on and they set off around the path outside the festival grounds. After they’d gotten away from the throngs of festival goers, Sarah ran her fingers over the edge of the wagon and made it glow dimly. 

“Mood lighting,” she whispered as she nestled against Harper.

“I’ve been thinking,” Harper said, hugging Sarah close. “Your lease is coming up soon.”

“Mmhmm,” Sarah nodded. 

“And I thought, instead of renewing it,” Harper said slowly. She took a deep breath before she continued more quickly. “You could move in with me?”

“Into your parents’ barn?” Sarah said, turning her head to look up at Harper, who smiled sheepishly. Sarah waited a moment, then let a big smile across her face. “I would love to.”

“You would?” Harper asked, not quite believing it. 

“Yes,” Sarah said. She pulled Harper in for a kiss, then rested their foreheads together. “Don’t get me wrong, the barn needs a lot of work.”

“I added insulation!” Harper said, pulling back so she could see Sarah’s face. Sarah laughed and placed a hand on Harper’s cheek.

“That you did,” Sarah said. “But I was thinking real walls, maybe a bathroom so I don’t have to run across the yard at three in the morning in January.”

“I hear early morning runs in Alberta’s winter are good for your health,” Harper said.

“We’re adding a bathroom.” Harper nodded, smiling and hugging Sarah closer.

“I was worried you wouldn’t want to live so close to my family,” Harper said. “It’s been pointed out to me in the past that living with my family forever is a little weird.”

“I mean, your family is a little weird, but with good reason,” Sarah said. She waited for their wagon to pass by another hayride before continuing. “And the Homestead is the safest place in Purgatory. The curse may be broken, but demons and evil are still very much a thing. Not to mention I know how much being there for Alice means to you and if Waverly and Nicole decide to have kids, I know you’ll want to be there for your little brother or sister. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

It had taken Harper some time to get used to having someone to share her family’s extracurricular activities with, but now she was glad she did. Having someone who understood her whole life made Harper smile like an idiot.

“What is it?” Sarah asked, noticing Harper’s smile.

“I’m just happy to hear you say all that,” Harper said. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Sarah said, kissing Harper again. Doc steered the wagon back towards the hayride station, but Sarah asked him to stop. “Could we go around again? I think I really like hayrides.”

Doc turned the wagon back onto the path and Sarah pulled out her phone. She and Harper got as close together as they could and Sarah snapped a picture, making sure to get the bright lights of the Pioneer Festival in the picture with them.


	7. Family

_Nicole glanced back in her rearview mirror then nudged Waverly with her elbow. Waverly turned toward Nicole, who pointed her thumb towards the backseat. Looking behind her, Waverly saw Harper asleep, curled up with her knees practically in her face, head propped up against the window with a sweatshirt as a pillow. One of her earbuds had fallen onto her chest and Waverly could hear the faint sound of a podcast narrator droning on._

_“She never could stay awake in the back of the car,” Waverly chuckled as she turned back around and reached out for Nicole’s hand. She laced their fingers together and placed their hands in her lap. “I wonder how many miles we drove keeping her asleep when she was a baby.”_

_“Enough to go around the world,” Nicole smiled. “Twice.”_

_The car jolted as the paved road turned into the dirt driveway of the Earp Homestead. Harper groaned and sat up, trying to stretch her legs out across the seat. She pulled her earbud out and rubbed her eyes._

_“Are we home yet?” Harper said through a yawn._

_“Why yes we are, Dr. Haught-Earp,” Waverly said, looking back over her shoulder. Harper rolled her eyes at her mother, but smiled to herself when Waverly turned around._

_Nicole pulled up in front of the house and Harper stepped out to a chorus of cheers. Harper had barely gotten out of the car when Bethany threw her arms around Harper’s neck and pulled her down into a kiss._

_“Congratulations,” Bethany whispered. Then she pulled out a camera and waved it in front of Harper. “Come on, picture time. Go stand over there with your moms.”_

_Bethany pointed to a spot in front of the house. Harper glanced up at the house and saw a large homemade banner with nice clear block lettering that said “Congrats Harper!” with “Haught damn you did it!” in Wynonna’s handwriting underneath._

_“Really, Wynonna?” Harper asked, pointing up at the sign. Wynonna turned away from her conversation with Alice and beamed at Harper, giving her two thumbs up. “Mama, does the sign have to be in the pictures?”_

_“Just a few,” Waverly said, positioning herself on one side of Harper while Nicole stood on the other. “I made a back up sign and hid it from her.”_

_They all smiled as Bethany snapped a few pictures. Nicole jogged over to her and took control of the camera, instructing Bethany to stand next to Harper. They got several with Harper, Bethany and Waverly, then Waverly took over picture duty. After the next set of pictures, Wynonna insisted on getting some goofy pictures of everybody. They tried to coax Alice off the porch for a Charlie’s Angels style picture, but Alice just rolled her eyes and headed back into the house._

_“Alright, that’s all the time we have for pictures,” Waverly said, herding everyone towards the house. “We have pie!”_

_Waverly took Harper’s hand and pulled her into the kitchen which was covered in party decorations and pie. Harper didn’t think she’d ever seen so much pie. Every surface in the kitchen had pies on it. Waverly looked incredibly proud of herself._

_“Mom,” Harper mumbled to Nicole. “What’s with all the pie?”_

_“She was going to make a blueberry pie but then thought you might want cherry, but I’m allergic, so she made both, then, well, this,” Nicole said, putting her hands up and gesturing around them._

_“I call whatever this one is,” Alice said as she grabbed the pie nearest to her. She stabbed a fork directly into the center and began to eat as she walked off._

_“I hope no one wanted peach,” Waverly said, frowning at her departing niece. She picked up the pie sitting in the center of the kitchen table and held it out to Harper. “You want cherry?”_

_“Do I have to eat the whole thing?” Harper asked. She received a sharp elbow from Nicole, then reached out and took the pie from Waverly. “Because I sure want to.”_

_Everyone took a pie and moved the party into the living room, except Harper, who caught Nicole’s arm and pulled her back into the kitchen._

_“Can we talk for a minute?” Harper asked, setting her whole cherry pie down on top of the refrigerator._

_“Is everything alright?” Nicole asked, looking worried._

_“Yeah, yes, of course, I just wanted to…” Harper took a deep breath and leaned back on the counter, sticking her hand directly into a pie. “OK, seriously, what is with all the pies?”_

_“I think it was partially out of excitement and partially a distraction from the fact that you’re now a doctor and not our little baby girl any more,” Nicole said. She dug a towel out of a drawer and tossed it to Harper. “But what did you want to talk about?”_

_“Right,” Harper nodded. “I need your help with something, and want to tell mama too, but she has problems keeping excitement on the inside.”_

_Harper pointed at her pies and Nicole laughed in agreement._

_“I need your help picking out a ring because I’m going to ask Bethany to marry me,” Harper said, fidgeting and smiling. Then she shook her head. “After we deal with Bulshar, obviously.”_

_Nicole’s mouth dropped open slightly, then she smiled. “Of course I will help.”_

_“You look surprised,” Harper said, panicking a little. “Is this a bad idea? Do you not think Wynonna will-”_

_“It’s good surprise. I’m beyond happy,” Nicole said as she pulled Harper into a tight hug. Harper squeezed her mom, then stepped back._

_“That’s good,” Harper said. “I also wanted to ask about that contingency plan you mentioned. I can’t wait for this all to be over so I can move past all this and have a life with Bethany, so if any plan you have, I’m in. All the way.”_

_Nicole’s face fell and she swallowed hard. “We don’t need to talk about it now. Or maybe ever. Hopefully, Wynonna’s plan will go off without a hitch. So don’t worry about it. Focus on Bethany and getting that ring.”_

_“What are you two doing?” Waverly asked, poking her head around the doorframe. “You are missing your party, young lady.”_

_“Coming,” Harper said. She scooped her pie back up and headed to the living the room. Nicole stayed where she was, feeling her stomach sink to her shoes._

_“Hey, baby, what’s up?” Waverly asked, walking over and putting her arms around her wife’s waist. “What were you two talking about?”_

_“I’ll let her tell you after the party,” Nicole said, forcing a smile onto her face. “Let’s go spend time with our family.”_

* * *

Harper walked through the empty halls of the high school. A banner announcing prom hung askew from the ceiling, crepe paper torn down by rowdy students littered the floor. The din of shouts and brass instruments echoed off the walls from the gym where families gathered for graduation.

Alice was graduating high school and Harper was late. She imagined Nicole checking her watch, assuring Waverly that everything was fine. She could almost hear Wynonna threatening bodily harm to anyone daring to ruin Alice’s big day. Harper would never dream of it, but she still struggled to make her way through the halls and into the gym where everyone was waiting.

These kind of days, days when her past hit her like a freight train were few and far between. She was so completely content, there were long stretches of time when she didn’t even think of the circumstances which brought her here. But every once in a while something - a sound or smell would bowl her over. Today Alice; happy, loving Alice with a full life and caring family, was graduating high school with the entire world about to open before her. This was everything Harper had ever wanted for her cousin, but she couldn’t help but think of the other Alice. The one she left behind. The one whose life she always wondered about. Or at least, had wondered about.

Harper pulled her wallet out of her back pocket and slid out a folded photo that was tucked behind a picture of her, Sarah, and Rachel. She held it up, the corners worn and creased. It was an old photograph of Harper and Alice standing together in front of the Homestead. The house looked brighter than it had ever been, thanks to some roof repairs courtesy of Nicole and Dolls. Waverly, with the assistance of Doc, had planted a garden around the front porch. Both projects Waverly had insisted on after the demise of Bulshar. She wanted everyone to have a fresh start and sprucing up the Homestead was part of that.

Alice was mostly as Harper remembered, a little older, a few more scars. She still had a sharp tongue and was guarded, but loved her family dearly. After Harper left them things got worse with Bulshar, the revenants, everything. But Alice said they never stopped fighting. It filled Harper with pride knowing that even in the face of the end of the world, her family hadn’t given up.

“Hey mom!” A voice cut through the quiet. 

“Yes, Rachel?” Harper turned toward the sound of her daughter approaching.

“I want to go to the movies tonight, but mama said I had to ask you first.”

“Did she now,” Harper sighed. “I don’t know, kiddo. It’s Alice’s day, I don’t think she’d appreciate you skipping out.”

“But mom,” Rachel whined, dragging the word out a long moment. “It’s _Captain Marvel: Civil War II_. I’ve been waiting FOREVER to see it.”

“We’ll see,” Harper said, placing her hand gently on the back of Rachel’s shoulder, trying to lead her down the hall. “We should be getting back to the gym now. Wouldn’t want to miss any of the ceremony.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Rachel swiveled out of Harper’s grasp. “Aunt Wynonna wanted me to tell you that if you’re late she’s not going to be responsible for what she does.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of Aunt Wynonna.” Harper crossed her arms.

“Didn’t she beat you in a wrestling match over the last piece of pie after dinner yesterday?” Rachel mimicked Harper, crossing her own arms, but narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her mother. “She had you in a headlock and called you a punk ass bit-”

“Rachel Grace, watch your language,” Harper said sternly, cutting off her daughter’s curse.

“Sorry mom.” She let her arms drop and shoulders slump, looking thoroughly chastised.

“You can at least try and act like you weren’t raised in a barn,” Harper said.

“But you did raise me in a barn,” Rachel said a matter of factly.

“That is not the point.” Harper sighed exasperatedly. Trying to keep up with her daughter was a challenge most days. She was too smart for her own good, thanks to Waverly’s tutoring. “Anyway, your Aunt Wynonna didn’t beat me, I gracefully withdrew from competition.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow sharply, locking a skeptical gaze on her mother. 

“Ugh, don’t look at me like that,” Harper groaned. “That’s the look your mama gives me when I’m about to be in trouble.”

“I’m gonna tell mama you said that,” Rachel laughed, skipping away.

“Not if you want to go see that movie tonight,”

Rachel stopped in her tracks, “Seriously?”

“After Alice’s party,” Harper said, catching up with Rachel.

“Thank you mom!” Rachel threw her arms around Harper’s waist, hugging her tightly.

“Let’s go find our seats.”

Harper and Rachel made their way back to the gym, finding their family easily. Wynonna was standing up, mid argument with the couple in front of her while Nicole was doing her best to diffuse the situation.

“There you two are,” Sarah said as Harper went to take her seat.

“Harper Valley PTA,” Wynonna shouted at Harper, grabbing her arm and dragging her across the seated Sarah and Waverly. “Come sit next to me for a second.” 

“What is it, Wynonna?” Harper asked, wedging herself into the chair Wynonna was already sitting in.

“Listen, I need to tell you something.” Wynonna kept her eyes on the stage where the principal was adjusting a microphone stand. She cleared her throat, struggling to find the words. “All of this, is because of you.”

“What do you mean?” Harper shifted in the seat she was sharing with Wynonna.

“We’re here, at my daughter’s graduation because you came back. I have a relationship with her because you sacrificed your family. And I’m not sure, even after all these years, if I ever thanked you for that.”

“Hey, you know this wasn’t all me. I couldn’t have done anything without you.” Harper saw a tear slip down Wynonna’s cheek and she watched Wynonna attempt to surreptitiously brush it away. Harper wrapped her arms around Wynonna and pulled her into a tight hug. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat because this is how it was always meant to be.”

“Thank you,” Wynonna whispered.

Harper released Wynonna and made her way back to her seat next to Sarah.

“Everything OK?” Sarah asked.

Harper leaned over, kissing Sarah softly on the cheek. “Everything’s perfect.”

“Everyone shut up!” Wynonna reached over Sarah, punching Harper in the thigh. “It’s starting.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @captain-empty.


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